Dr. Patricia Lane was real.

That surprised everyone.

She was a licensed child psychologist in Virginia.

She had never met Emma.

Victoria attended a parent consultation with her by video.

Victoria described Emma anonymously as “my stepdaughter.”

She reported:

Aggression.

Jealousy toward infant.

Compulsive caregiving.

Dishonesty.

Sleep issues.

Resistance to family rules.

Dr. Lane provided general guidance and a template recommending independent evaluation if symptoms worsened.

Victoria took language from that template and created a document formatted like a formal assessment.

Dr. Lane’s signature had been copied from an educational handout.

When shown the report, Lane was furious.

“I did not write this.”

Evidence strengthened.

The residential-placement folder contained brochures Victoria collected herself.

No licensed clinician had recommended sending Emma anywhere.

The threat to Emma had been manufactured from beginning to end.

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